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General CommentTo me this song is a shining example of the genius of the Hunter/ Garcia legacy.I am often completely and totally blown away by some new thought about a Hunter Garcia song I have heard for decades. To me China doll is the gentle argument between the suicidal and someone questioning that choice. I have sung this song for years for my mom who took her life, never quite having the whole meaning of the song jell. Today it was the ending that blew me away...The china doll to me has come to represent an acknowledgement of the fragile ego and it is a doll because the fragile ego is often like a child who never outgrows the need for external approval. Sad, and touching. The thing that wows me as much as Hunter's lyrics is how Jerry put the lullaby ending on to it. Of course, as with all great lyrics ...YMMV. ( But really folks, the songs were not about doing drugs ... )

" I will not condemn you nor yet would I deny,
I would ask the same of you, but failing, will not die.
Take up your china doll, take up your china doll,
it's only fractured and just a little nervous from the fall"